Page 5 of Beyond the Rainbow (Pride Camp 2025 #11)

The Great Camp Debate

C olin leaned back and fixed Nate with an unblinking stare

“Oh, Lord god,” Joshua moaned, rubbing his forehead.

“Come on , Colin!” Nate countered. “It’s a good game! Don’t be a dick!”

“I am not being a dick! I simply think we can do better than Simon Says.”

“I like Simon Says,” Nate challenged.

Colin glanced at David. His raised eyebrows and tilted head both suggested caution.

In fact, his entire demeanor indicated that this was a battle Colin would be wise to avoid.

Colin’s eyes swung to Nate, who was slumped in his chair, his expression an equal mixture of equal parts hurt pride and pure defiance.

“OK, OK,” Colin muttered, bowing to the inevitable. “Simon Says is on the list.” He leaned toward Nate and jabbed an index finger in his direction. “But you’re running it, rabble-rouser!”

“Listen, guys,” Joshua interrupted. “I have an issue I’d like to raise.”

Colin was bent over a legal pad, adding Simon Says to the list of activities, but something in Joshua’s tone caused him to stop and turn toward his husband. “What’s up, bud?”

“Are you about to complain about Simon Says?” Nate asked.

“No,” Joshua informed him. “I want to discuss LGBTQ+ youth who are houseless and therefore have little to no chance of joining any camp.”

“Hmmm,” David hummed, leaning back in his chair. “How many kids are we talking about, Josh?”

“I don’t know. Specific statistics for Charlottesville are hard to get, and even statewide numbers on LGBTQ+ youth are difficult to find.

What I do know is that research indicates that LGBTQ+ youth are 120 percent more likely to be living on the street than their non-LGBTQ+ peers.

That means there are nearly 1.7 million LGBTQ+ youth at risk for homelessness in this country, and I find that horrifying. ”

“Makes me sick that the kids who need it most won’t get to be part of Camp Pride,” Nate growled out.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Nate,” Colin said, his eyes fixed on Joshua. “My husband is now on the case, and that is almost sure to change the situation.”

“All I’m asking is that we reach out to a group like Project Hope and try to include some of those kids.” He drew in a deep breath. “It just seems wrong not to.”

“Will they be Charlottesville kids?” David asked. “Or Albemarle County kids?”

“Possibly neither one. But they will be Virginia kids, and they’ll be LGBTQ+ kids.”

“OK, listen to me,” David said, leaning toward Joshua. “I’m not saying I agree with this position, but some of the parents who have paid for their children to be at Camp Pride may balk at their child sharing quarters with an LGBTQ+ youth who happens to be unhoused.”

“Don’t tell them!” Nate shot back.

“And if their child tells them?” David inquired.

“No, no, no,” Joshua protested, shaking his head. “We are going to be completely transparent in everything connected with Camp Pride. Any parent who wishes to withdraw their child because we include unhoused youth in this program is free to do so and will receive a full refund.”

“These are the kids who need it most, ” Nate added.

“ Do they ?” David asked. And when Joshua opened his mouth to protest, David lifted a hand to stop him.

“Listen to me! I do not object to including these kids. Not at all. But I’m asking you to please consider the ramifications of what you’re proposing.

We can’t just scoop up a kid from a Walmart parking lot, give them one week of belonging, and then drop them back into nothing.

That’s not a kindness. It’s a setup. I want these kids there, believe me!

I’m just saying we have to move carefully.

These are vulnerable children who already feel abandoned.

I don’t want us to end up doing more harm than good. ”

“You’re right, of course,” Joshua replied.

“And that’s why I mentioned Project Hope.

Bringing in youth from the homeless population would require a lot of thought and sensitivity.

The staff at Project Hope can guide us. Believe it or not, Charlottesville City Schools also has a vigorous program that supports youth who are experiencing homelessness.

Keeping them in school. Providing them with school supplies. They might also be able to help us.”

“There’s one other consideration I have to mention,” Colin said, his voice low. “I don’t like it, but I feel as though I have to say it.” He shot a nervous look at Joshua and breathed out a long sigh. “A lot of the kids who are displaced are into drugs.”

“Colin …” Joshua began.

“I know all of them aren’t using,” Colin said, reaching to take Joshua’s hand. “It’s just not something we can afford to ignore.”

“Oh, holy crap,” Nate moaned.

Colin looked down, his jaw tight. “I’ve seen it, Josh. Kids that age. I’ve seen how quickly they can get caught up in the ‘glam’ of drug use.” He drew Joshua closer. “All I’m saying is we do not want to be in a situation where someone’s child—homeless or not—dies of an overdose on our watch!”

There was a long, painful silence.

“OK,” Joshua said finally. “Before we take this idea one step further, I’m going to talk to the people at Project Hope.

” He turned to face his husband. “You raise an important point,” he told Colin.

“But bear in mind that any of the youth who take part in Camp Pride could be using drugs, not just the homeless youth.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Colin replied, lacing their fingers together. “And like it or not, we have to think about how to address that issue.”

“You’re the cop in this outfit,” Nate said, reaching to poke Colin’s shoulder. “I say we leave it in your capable hands.”

“I won’t be acting as a cop,” Colin told him. “We won’t establish trust with these kids by asking them to pee into a cup the second they step off the bus.”

“We definitely won’t do that,” Joshua replied

“Let me think about it,” Colin told him. “I’ll come up with a way to address it.” He lowered his head, and Joshua saw his jaw tighten.

“I have one other thing to present to the group,” Joshua said, tightening his fingers on Colin’s.

“The other therapy centers involved in Camp Pride have not been enthusiastic about providing staff. They’re happy to throw money at the problem but not personnel.

” He shot a sideways glance at Colin. “Therefore, I am suggesting that we ask Trent and Jeff to be part of this. They’re good guys, and I know we all trust them. ”

“Oh, my god,” Colin moaned, causing Nate to burst into giggles and point at him.

“Now we can add ‘Who’s Got the Biggest Dick’ to our list of games!” he chortled. “With Colin and Trent being the only participants.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t count on that !” Colin shot back. “Teenage boys can be very interested in dick length. Especially gay teenage boys!”

“We are not playing Biggus Dickus during Camp Pride,” Joshua stated, his voice flat and uncompromising.

“Well, not publicly anyway,” Colin added, flashing his dimples.

“David, does UVA provide any services to youth without a safe place to stay?” Joshua asked, choosing to ignore his husband’s taunt. “You’d think with all their community outreach and financial input, they’d be a champion in this area.”

David scoffed out a husky breath. “Far from it. If anything, UVA is a contributor to the homeless problem in Charlottesville!” He eyed Joshua, his expression somber.

“The number of unhoused in this city has increased significantly in recent years, and UVA’s influence on the housing market is one of the reasons why.

A quarter of Charlottesville residents can’t afford decent, safe housing!

” He shook his head. “Don’t count on them.

I’ll use their collective guilty conscience to get the grant money out of them.

But that’s the best we can hope for from UVA. ”

“OK, wait!” Colin said, lifting his hand.

“We can only solve so many of the world’s problems at summer camp.

” He released Joshua’s hand and leaned back in his chair.

“I approve my husband’s suggestion that we ask Trent and Jeff to be part of this …

thing. ” He shot a glance at Joshua, who was grinning broadly.

“With reservations ! Also, I suggest we table the idea of including LGBTQ+ youth who are in need of housing until Josh has a chance to talk to other local agencies and get some direction. Right now, I suggest we get on with planning our activities.”

All four men nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan, Colin,” David told him.

“Speaking of that, I have a few activities I’d like to suggest,” Joshua offered. “Ones I’ve used in some youth-centered group therapy.”

“Are they fun?” Nate asked him.

“Well,” Joshua said. “I think they are. But they’re also designed to encourage trust, creativity, confidence, and inclusion. Also, they’re not all first-day activities. They may be a bit too intense for that.”

“That means a shrink has set them up,” Colin teased, then ducked away from Joshua’s fake punch. “Sorry, bud. Go ahead. What are they?”

“The first is called Two Truths and a Lie,” Joshua said.

“Each person—and we’ll be taking part in these too—says two true things and one lie about themselves.

Everyone else has to guess which is the lie.

” He glanced at Nate. “It’s fun, revealing, and a great way to learn quirky facts about each other. ”

“That one would work on the first day,” Colin said.

“I love it!” Nate crowed. “Tell us another one!”

“This next one will require some prep work,” Joshua said, then showed them a picture containing twenty different Pride flags.

“We won’t use all the flags. But we’ll hand out copies of maybe four or five different flags, depending on how many campers we have.

Then they’ll look around and group up with anyone whose flag matches theirs.

It’s a way to promote inclusivity while subtly educating them about LGBTQ+ diversity. ”

“I’ll create a ‘pain in the ass’ flag for Trent,” Colin snickered.

“And I’ll create a ‘self-centered prick’ one for you ,” Nate countered.

“And thus, the days of inclusivity and acceptance begin,” David chuckled, shaking his head.

Joshua snickered. “I have a few more, most geared toward our evening fire pit gathering. But there’s one I want to do on the first day and then repeat on the last day of camp.”

“What is it?” Colin asked.

“Trust fall,” Joshua told him.

“Oh, I’ve done that before,” Colin muttered.

“I haven’t,” Nate said. “What is it?”

“We group them by cabin assignments. The campers stand in a circle with one person in the center. The camper in the center closes their eyes and lets themselves fall backward, trusting that their friends will catch them.”

“Will we be doing this?” David asked.

“Absolutely, we will!”

“Oh lord,” David moaned, drawing a warm laugh and a pat on the arm from Joshua.

“Davy, you’ll be great. On day one, most of them won’t be able to do it. Hell, we might not either. But if we’ve done our jobs right—by the end—they’ll fall without fear.”

“Have we gotten anywhere today?” Nate asked, leaning on David’s shoulder.

“Well, we’ve decided to let you play Simon Says with the campers,” Colin offered. “How’s that for progress!”

“I’ve been working on the first-day schedule,” Joshua told them.

“Once I’m done, I’ll print out copies for everyone, and we can go over them together.

We’ve got six cabins with six campers in each one.

That’s thirty-six kids. If Trent and Jeff agree to sign on, that’ll give us one cabin apiece, which will be our sole responsibility.

” He looked around. “Any questions? Objections? Threats?”

“I’m just happy that counselors get a cabin instead of tenting it,” David said, grinning.

“Have you checked out the beds in those cabins?” Colin asked, grinning as well. “You might end up yearning for your glam tent.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll go buy one!”

“I’m also happy that Verdun provides kitchen staff for cooking and cleanup,” Joshua added. “Gets that whole worry off our plates … so to speak.”

“Yeah,” Colin grumbled. “For a price .”

David let out a scoffing breath. “Welcome to the real world.”

To Joshua’s immense joy and relief, Trent and Jeff were eager to take part as counselors.

“I hope it doesn’t interrupt one of your weekends with Sophie,” Joshua told Trent that evening on the phone, referring to Trent’s thirteen-year-old daughter.

“Thankfully, both she and Jenifer are flexible. They almost have to be, given the nature of my pro bono work.”

“Trent, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you guys are willing to help us with this project.”

“The most important part of my life is the pro bono work I do with disabled veterans,” Trent told him. “Jeff and I both volunteer once a month at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. We both want to give back to our community. This is a no-brainer, Josh.”

“Well, all I can say is thank god.”

“Camping with Colin …” Trent mused, his voice trailing off. “Won’t that be a blast!”

“You two have to behave yourselves,” Joshua said, laughing.

“Frankly, Josh, I consider that highly unlikely.”

Joshua laughed again, and as he set the phone down.

The banter with Trent had been lighthearted, but it reminded him of how far he and Colin had come.

There was a time when Colin joining something as carefree as summer camp felt impossible—too much weight already on his shoulders from the job, the trauma, the past. But this was different.

It wasn’t just about Colin teaching baseball or leading excursions.

It was about creating a safe space where kids could feel free to be themselves: to laugh, to love, and to live.

Colin would pour his heart into this—and Joshua knew it was big enough to hold every kid who found their way to Camp Pride.

The thought made Joshua’s chest swell. He loved Colin’s passion and his unwavering sense of justice, but there was something magical about watching him let go, about seeing the soft, childlike side he so rarely showed the world.

The side that only Joshua, their closest friends and family, and a few lucky kids at Camp Pride would get to see.

Joshua leaned against the counter, arms crossed, gazing at the framed photo of the two of them on a beach.

Colin’s arm was draped over Joshua’s shoulder, his smile wide and unguarded.

There was a glow in his honeyed-green eyes that reminded Joshua why he loved Colin so much—why he’d continue to love him through every challenge, every adventure.

He glanced at the clock. Colin would be home soon, and the thought sent a thrill through him, as it always did.

A chuckle escaped him. “Camping with Colin,” he murmured, echoing Trent’s words.

Yeah, it was going to be a blast. And maybe they’d all leave Camp Pride with a little more hope, a little more love, and with memories they’d treasure for the rest of their lives.